Adjustable-capacity vane pump for hydraulic change-speed gears and other uses



Oct: 9 S. G. WINGQUIST ADJUSTABLE CAPACITY VANE PUMP FOR HYDRAULIC CHANGE SPEED GEARS-AND OTHER USES Filed Dec. 8, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 19 1926. 1,603,437

' S. G. WINGQUIST ADJUSTABLE CAPACITY VANE PUMP FOR HYDRAULIC CHANGE SPEED GEARS AND OTHER USES Filed Dec. 8, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JJWWLZLOT" Oct. 19 1926.

ADJUSTABLE 'c S. G. WINGQUIS CITY VANE PUMP FOR HYDRAULIC CHANGE USES s Shets-Sheet 5 EED GEARS AND OTHER Filed Dec. 8, 1921 Patented Oct. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,603,437 PATENT OFFICE.

SVEN GUSTAE WINGQUIST, F GOTTENBORG, SWEDEN.

ADJUSTABLE-CAPACITY VANE PUMP FOR HYDRAULIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARS. AND OTHER USES.

Application filed December 8, 1921, Serial No. 521,016, and in Sweden February 8, 1921.

This invention relates to variable capacity hydraulic vane pumps and to the application of such pumps to hydraulic coupling and change speed gears, for automobiles or the like.

The object of the invention is, chiefly, to make it possible to regulate, in a simple manner, the volumetric capacity of the vane pumps employed in hydraulic change-speed gearing by varying the effective area of those surfaces which, by their movement, cause a displacement of the fluid from said pumps.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the pump, which it is desired to make adjustable, isprovided with substantially radially adjustable elements which control the effective displacement of such pump. The elements referred to consist of radially adjustable auxiliary vanes bearing on correspondingly radially adjustable abutments. The invention carried out as a hydraulic coupling and change speed gear comprises two vane pumps, one of which acts as a delivery pump and the other of which acts as'a receiving pump either one of which may be formed in the manner hereinbefore described so that its volumetric capacity can be regulated. In order to obtain a high efficiency, the said change speed gear is preferably arranged in such manner that only that part of the transmitted power corresponding to the difference of speed between the driving and the driven shaft is transmitted through pumping action, while the usually greater part of the power is transmitted directly through the fluid pressure, without pumping action which .principle is fully set forth in the inventors copending application on hydraulic coupling and change speed gearing devices Serial No. 418,264, filed October 20, 1920.

In the drawings, an embodiment ofthe invention as applied to hydraulic coupling and change speed gears is shown, the same being particularly adapted for automobiles. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal or axial section of the device. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2-2, and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the driving shaft connected to any power motor whatsoever and having firmly attached to it an outer housing 2 closed at all sides. Rigidly connected to the said housabutment ing is a member 3, forming the driving rotor of the device and in which are formed working surfaces 4, 5 and 6, 7, respectively, and abutments 8, 9 and 10, 11, respectively (Figs. 2 and 3) for the two vane pumps A and B, which in the embodiment shown, each comprises twin vane pump units, the elements of each unit being identical in size and arrangement. Rotatably mounted in the housing 2 is, further, the driven shaft 12 connected to the shaft of the automobile and having keyed to it the driven rotor 13 forming, together with the driving rotor 3, the vane pump device A, which, in normal forward running, works as a delivery pump. Arranged by pairs in the driven rotor 18 are twelve radially. movable cylindrical vanes, 14, said vanes being guided, by the rollers 15 mounted on the vane pins 16, the rollers running in, and consequently being under the control of, the slots 17 18 formed in the rotary housing 2 and in the driving rotor 3, respectively, in such manner as to bear, when reaching the working surfaces 4 and 5, on the said surfaces and to be moved inwardly, when reaching the abutments 8 and 9, towards the centre of the rotor, so as to pass freely over said abutments. The vanes 14 are actuated by springs 19 placed in the rotor 13 so that the rollers 15 will always hear, through the medium of the pins 16, on the outer surfaces of the curved slots 17, 18 with the exception of the interval during which the vanes 14 are in contact with the working surfaces 4, 5. The abutments 8 and 9 form partitions between the pressure and the suction chambers of the pump by sliding contact with the driven rotor member 13 proper independently of any action of the vanes. The effective pressure surface of the vanes 14 of pump A, i. e., the surface which produces by its movement a displacement of the fluid from the pump, is obviously constant. This surface is measured by the radial distance between the cylindrical surface of the abutments 8, 9 and the concentric cylindrical surface of working surfaces 4, 5 or, by the difference between the radii of the rotor member 13 and the working surfaces 4, 5, providing ofcourse that the width of the vanes is unaltered. If the radial distance between the abutments and the workchanged,if the number of revolutions per minute he maintained. The present invention provides a means of performing such a regulation of the capacity, as hereinbefore mentioned, in providingthe element of the pump which contains the vanes with radially adjustable auxiliary members, hereinafter referred to as abutment vanes, bearing on likewise radially adjustable abutments in the other element of the pump. The vane pump Bshown in Figs. 1 and 3, normally workingas a receiving pump, is arranged in such manner.

The said vane pump B consists of the driving rotor 3, common to both itself and the delivery pump, (Figs. 1 and 3) and the stator member 20. The rotor element has arranged in it radially adjustable abutments 10, 11 and the normally stationary stator member 20, is provided with twelve radially movable workingvanes 21 arranged in pairs, as in the delivery pump, and in addition twenty-four abutment vanes 22 arranged in pairs, said abutment vanes being adjustable in radial direction and adapted to bear on the abutments 10, 11. The working vanes 21 are guided, as in the delivery pump, by rollers 23 in curved slots 24 provided in the driving rotor 3 so that said vanes are con-' strained to pass freely over the abutments 10, 11 but are allowed to bear on the Working surfaces 6, 7, good contact being insured by vane springs 25, The adjustment of the abutment vanes 22 is performed'by axially movable slides 26 arranged in the stator member 20, said slides being provided with cam or guide ribs 27 both ribs being similarly inclined to the axial direction, i. e. to the direction of movement, and engaging slots provided in extensions 28 of the cylindrical abutment vanes 22. By moving the slides 26 axially in one direction or the other, a displacement of the abutment vanes 22 in radial direction toward or away from the centre'of the stator 20 will be effected. The adjustment of the abutments 10, 11 is performed in a similar manner, there being provided, in the driving rotor 3, two slides 29 movable in axial direction and having ribs 30 inclined to the direction of movement, said ribs engaging slots in the abutments 10, 11. The inclination of the ribs 27 and 30 should be the same, so that, if the slides 26 and 29 are moved simultaneously with the same speed, the abutment vanes 22 will bear closely on the abutments 10, 11. The said slides 26 and 29 may, however, be moved independently for purposes hereinafter more particularly described. As will appear from Fig. 3, each abutment, consists of two parts 10, 10 and 11, 11, in order to secure, in different radial positions of said parts, (the guide surface of each of which has necessarily a constant radius of curvature) an abutment working face having an average curvature more nearly conforming to the ideal curvature at each different radius whereby to afford an effective seal between the said surface and the abutment vanes 22. Moreover, the circumferential distance between consecutive abutment vanes should be chosen in such relation to the length of are over which the abutments extend that one such vane at least always bears tightly on each abutment. The stator member 20 is keyed to one end of sleeve 31 adapted to rotate freely relatively to the driven shaft 12. To the other end of sleeve 31 a brake drum 32 is secured, through which the rotation of said sleeve and the ,stator 20 can be checked. The object of this stator brake is fully set forth in the inventors copending U. S. application Serial No. 418,264 previously referred to. The escape of fluid between the shaft 12 and the sleeve 31 is prevented by bushings 34 and 35 rovided at the ends of the sleeve and by uid return duct 53 as will hereinafter be more fully described. Slidably and rotatably mounted on the said sleeve 31 is a second sleeve 36, at the inner end of which an annular flange 37 is secured. Rotatably mounted on the said flange is a collar built up of three rings or lates 38, 39, 40, to which the slides 26 mova 1e in the stator member 20 are rigidly connected. Secured to the outer end of the sleeve 36 is a collar 41 of an adjusting device hereinafter more fully described, by means of which the sleeve 36 and, thereby, the slides 26 may be displaced axially in order to regulate the radial position of the abutment vanes 22 in the stator member 20. The fluid seal between the sleeves 31 and 36 is effected by bushings 42 and 43 mounted at the ends of the sleeve 36. Movably mounted on the sleeve 36 is, further, a third sleeve 44 guided in a hub 46 formed on the cover of the housing 2, the sleeve 44 rotating with said cover and housing. Attached to the inner end of the sleeve 44 is a spider 48 having a hub 47 to the arms of which the adjusting slides 29 are secured. Rigidly connected to the outer end of this sleeve is a collar 49 of a second adjusting device hereinafter more fully described, by which the sleeve 44 and the slides 29 may be moved axially, in order to regulate the radial position of the abutments 10, 11 in the driving rotor 3. The spider or arm system 48 with the slides 29 is acted upon by springs 50 arranged on pins 51 in the cover 45, so that the hub 47 will normally be pressed against the annular flange 37 at the inner end of the sleeve 36. In moving the sleeve 36 together with the slides 26, the sleeve 44 and the arm system 48 will therefore be automatically moved in unison, so that the radial adjustment of the abutment vanes 22 and the abutments 10, 11 will be performed simultaneously and with the same speed, so asto prevent leakage between the said members by maintaining a minimum clearance therebetween. The abutment vanes 22 and the abutments 10, 11 are also adapted to be moved independently of one another, when it is desired to throw the pumps out of operation. In Fig. 1, the sleeve 44 and the hub 47 are shown as moved out of contact with the annular flange 37, against the action of the springs 50. In this position, which, as hereinafter described, represents free engine, the abutment vanes escape the abutments by a wide margin.

The adjusting devices for regulating the radial position of the abutment vanes'22 in the stator member 20 and the abutments 10, 11 in the driving rotor 3 may be of any desired construction. As herein shown, axial movement of the sleeve 36 which carries the slides 26 is controlled 'gby the bell crank lever '65 fulcrumed at 66 on a suitable support.

The lower portion of the lever is forked, and said fork straddles the collar 41 and is adapted to move the same axially through engagement with a pair of trunnions 67 on a two part channel ring 68 which loosely embraces the collar 41. Any extent of axial movement of the sleeve 36 may be maintained by means of the detent device 69, 70. In a similar manner axial movement of the sleeve 44 which carries the slides 29 may be accomplished through the parts 71, 72, 73 and 74.

Provided in the hub 46 of the cover 45 is a conduit 53 having, in known manner, a spring-actuated ball valve 52, through which the eventually escaping fluid pressure medium will be automatically conducted back to the suction chamber of the pump. Provided in the housing 2 is, further, a chamber 54 communicating with the suction chamber of the pump, in which chamber the pressure medium is freed from air through the separating action of centrifugal force. Connected to the driven shaft 12 is, finally, a brake drum 55 which with suitable operating gear may'be used to supplement the action of the usual brakes on an automobile as set forth in the inventors copending apthe abutments 10, 11 and the abutment vanes 22 of the receiving pump B be adjusted by means of the movable sleeves 44 and 36 and the slides 29, 26 so that the effective pressure surface of the vanes 21 is equal to the.

effective pressure surface of the vanes 14 of the delivery pump making the pumping capacities of the two pumps equal. It is ob vious that, if the housing 2 with the driving rotor 3 be caused to rotate, the fluidwhich is caused to move by the pressure set up 1n delivery pump A and passes directly from the pressure chamber of such pump to the pressure chamber of the receiving pump B, will be entirely taken up by the receiving pump and conducted back from the suction chamber of such pump to the suction chamber of the delivery pump. Thus, in this case, only a circulation of the pressure medium between the vane pumps A and B will be effected, and the rotor 13 with the shaft 12 will remain at rest. The aforesaid adjustment of the abutment 1O, 11 and the abutment vanes 22, in which the volumetric capacity of the delivery pump is equal to that of the receiving pump, represents free engine.

If the sleeves 36 and 44 with the slides 26 and 29 be then moved in a direction from the left toward the right in Fig. 1, the abutment vanes 22 and the abutments 10, 11 on account of the inclined direction of the guide ribs 27,30, will, obviously, be moved outwardly, from the centre of rotation. The radial distance between the guide surfaces of the abutments and the working. surfaces 6, 7 will, thus, be reduced and, on account thereof, the effective pressure surface of the working vanes 21 and, consequently, the volumetric capacity ofthe receiving pump B will be decreased. The receiving pump will, therefore, not be capable of receiving the volume of fluid delivered from the delivery pump A, and, therefore, the rotor 13 and the shaft 12 will partake of the rotation of the driving rotor 3 with a speed depending on the difference between the volumetric capacities of the two pumps. If, for instance, the abutment vanes and the abutments be adjusted in such manner that the volumetric capacity of the receiving pump be equal to half the volumetric capacity of the delivery pump, the transmission ratio between the shafts 12 and 1 will, obviously,

be equal to 1: 2. By radially adjusting the abutments 10, 11 and the abutment vanes 22, the transmission ratio between the shafts 1 and 12 may be varied at will. If, for instance, the said members be adjusted in such manner that the radial distance between the guide surfaces of the abutments and the working surface be reduced to zero, obviously, the volumetric capacity of the receiving pump B will also be reducedto zero, and the rotor 13 and the shaft 12 will be driven at the same speed as the housing 2 and the driving'shaft 1 because .no fluid can escape from the pump to which power is applied.

This position represents direct drive, and,

than that of the normal delivery ump A, their functions will be reversed. ump B will now pump pressure medium to the former delivery pump A and, which latter now becomes the receiving pump. This causes the direction of rotation of the rotor 13 and the shaft 12 to be reversed relatively to the direction of rotation of the shaft 1 with the housing 2 and the driving rotor 3. This position represents reversed drive.

It is to be observed that, on account of the so-called differential principle employed in the arrangement of the pump elements of this device, that part only of the transmitted power which corresponds to the difference of speed between the driving and the driven shafts (1 and 12, respectively) will be transmitted through pumping action between the delivery and receiving pumps, while the remaining part of the power will be transmitted directly through the pressure of the fluid between the driving rotor and the driven rotor (3 and 13, respectively). In direct drive, which is by far the most used of any of the transmission ratios in an automobile, the whole power is transmitted through the pressure of the fluid between the said parts without any pumping action whatever.

If it be desired, at any gear ratio whatsoever, to directly obtain free engine or produce any degree of slip between the driving and driven parts, this may be performed by adjusting the abutments 10, 11 independently of the abutment vanes 22, so as to create be tween the said parts a space through which the pressure chamber and the suction chamber of the delivery pump will directly com- Inunicate.

In the device described it is, thus, possible,

by merely radially adjusting the abutments 10, 11 and the abutment vanes 22, to obtain free engine, any desired gear ratio, direct drive and reverse drive, without using corii- .plicated arrangements of conduits With appurtenant valve devices and adjusting means therefor. Such devices besides adding to the cost of construction cause considerable energy loss because of added resistance to the flow of fluid. In the device according to the present invention, such losses are eliminated because the pressure chambers and the suction chambers of the two vane pumps communicate directly with one another through channels 60 and 61 respectively in the driving rotor, without any intervening valves or obstruction of any kind.

I claim:

1. In a hydraulic coupling and change speed gear, the combination of a driving rotor, a driven rotor, and a stator, one of said rotors and the stator having vanes, the driving rotor and the driven rotor forming together a vane pump device acting normally as a delivery pump and one of said rotors and the stator forming together a second vane pump device acting norm-ally as a receiving pump, the rotors and stator constituting the main elements of the pumps, and means for adjusting' the volumetric capacity per revolution of one of the pumps whereby the relative capacity of the pumps may be varied to vary the speed reduction between the driving and driven rotors, said means comprising adjustable abutments carried by one of the main pump elements and correspondingly adjustable auxiliary abutment vanes carried by its complemental main pump element said auxiliary abutment vanes being adapted to slide freely over the working faces of said abutments and co-operate therewith to vary the cross-section of the column of fluid displaced from the pump chambers by the movement of the pump vanes.

2. A hydraulic coupling and change speed gear ac cording to claim 1, further characterized in that the vane pump capacity adjusting means comprises radially adjustable abutments carried by one of the main pump elements and radially adjustable auxiliary abutment vanes carried by its complemental main pump element.

3. In a variable capacity pump for hydraulic coupling and change speed gears or the like, the combination of two concentric relatively rotating main parts forming together the pump chamber, pump vanes carried by one of said parts and co-operating with the other of said parts, one of said parts carrying adjustable abutments and the other of said parts carrying correspondingly adjustable abutment vanes, said abutment vanes adapted to slide close to the working faces of said abutment, and means adapted to effect simultaneous movements of the abutments and abutment vanes while the pump is in operation.

4. In a variable capacity pump for hydraulic coupling and change speed gears or the like, the combination of two concentric relatively rotating main parts forming together the pump chamber, pump vanes carried by one of said parts and co-operating with the other of said parts, one of said parts carrying adjustable abutments and the other of said parts carrying correspondingly adjustable abutment vanes. said abutment vanes adapted to slide close to the working faces of said abutments, means comprising axially movable cam slides carried by the two main pump parts, and engaging said abutments and abutment vanes respectively to control their radial movements, said slides being respectively connected to two axially adjustable concentric adjusting sleeves surrounding the pump shaft, and means adapted to adjust the axial position of the sleeves.

5. In a variable capacity pump for hydraulic coupling and change speed gears or the like, the combination of two concentric relatively rotating main parts forming together the pump chamber, pump vanes carried by one of said parts and co-operating with the other of said parts, one of said parts carrying adjustable abutments and the other of said parts carrying correspondingly adjustable abutment vanes, said abutment vanes adapted to slide close to the Working faces of said abutments, and means adapted to adjust the position of the abutments and abutment vanes, said means comprising cam slides engaging said abutments and abutment vanes, and being respectively attached to two concentric axially movable adjusting sleeves surrounding the pump shaft, spring means adapted normally to hold one sleeve in a fixed axial position with respect to the second sleeve, and manually operated means adapted to axially shift said first sleeve independently of second mentioned sleeve against the action of said spring means.

name.

SVEN GUSTAF WINGQUIST.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 25 

